WCW Souled Out 1997-2000
Souled Out 97 - Cedar Rapids, IA - Five Seasons Center - January 25, 1997 (5,120) Pay-per-view bouts - featured Eric Bischoff & Ted Dibiase on commentary: Masahiro Chono pinned Chris Jericho with a boot to the face Big Bubba defeated Hugh Morrus in a Mexican Death match Jeff Jarrett pinned Michael Wallstreet after Steve McMichael interfered and hit Wallstreet with his Halliburton Buff Bagwell defeated Scotty Riggs Scott Norton defeated Diamond Dallas Page via count-out Rick & Scott Steiner defeated WCW Tag Team Champions Kevin Nash & Scott Hall to win the titles WCW US Champion Eddie Guerrero defeated Syxx in a ladder match at 13:48 when, after both men grabbed hold of the belt and unstrapped it, Guerrero hit Syxx with the title, knocking him off the ladder; during his ring entrance, Guerrero was introduced over the PA as "wrestling's jumping bean;" after the match, Guerrero left through the crowd (The Rise and Fall of WCW) The Giant fought WCW World Champion Hulk Hogan (w/ Vincent) to a no contest at around the 10-minute mark; prior to the match, Hogan was escorted to the ring by Nate Newton, Ray Donaldson, & George Teague of the Dallas Cowboys; late in the match, the Giant dropped the champion with the chokeslam but referee Nick Patrick refused to count Hogan down for 3, with the Giant then dropping Patrick with the chokeslam; moments later, the Giant fought off Buff Bagwell, Vincent, Michael Wallstreet, and Big Bubba by dropping each of them with chokeslams; Eric Bischoff eventually left the commentary area to hand Hogan a nWo guitar; as the Giant attempted the chokeslam on Syxx, Hogan smashed the guitar over the Giant's back and then smashed a wooden chair over him as well; moments later, Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Syxx, & Ted Dibiase celebrated in the ring as the fans chanted "We want Sting;" the Giant was then spraypainted by Hogan (Hulk Hogan: The Unreleased Archives) Souled Out 98 - Dayton, OH - Hara Arena - January 24, 1998 (5,486; announced as a sell out) Pay-per-view bouts - featured Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, & Bobby Heenan on commentary; included Gene Okerlund conducting an in-ring interview with JJ Dillon, in possession of the WCW World Title, in which he spoke with the executive committee and Roddy Piper about what to do with the held up title; moments later, Piper appeared and said the decisions made regarding the title would stick and then asked Sting, Hulk Hogan, and Scott Hall to come out; Hall and Hogan then appeared alongside Eric Bischoff; Piper then named Hall as the top contender but a new champion would have to be determined before he got a title shot; Piper said Sting would face Hogan at SuperBrawl for the held up championship, with Hogan then facing off against Sting; Hall then walked out, leaving Hogan in the ring with Sting and Piper; Hogan and Bischoff eventually left ringside: Juventud Guerrera, Super Calo, Lizmark Jr., & Chavo Guerrero Jr. defeated La Parka, Psychosis, Silver King, & El Dandy at 9:30 when Guerrero pinned Psychosis with the tornado DDT after Psychosis missed a charge in the corner; Mike Tenay provided guest commentary for the match; following the contest, La Parka hit all the other wrestlers with a steel chair before then dancing on top of the chair Chris Benoit defeated Raven in a No DQ match via KO with the Crippler Crossface at 10:36 after reversing an attempt at the DDT; after the bout, Billy Kidman, Lodi, Sick Boy, and Scotty Riggs came out, with Dean Malenko then appearing to make the save for Benoit and clear the ring; moments later, Van Hammer carried Raven backstage Chris Jericho defeated WCW Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio Jr. via submission with the Liontamer to win the title after reversing a hurricanrana off the top at 8:22; Mike Tenay did guest commentary for the bout; after the contest, Jericho took the mic and said it was the greatest moment of his life; moments later, when the fans booed Jericho, he said he would give them a reason to boo then and then tore off Mysterio's knee brace and beat him with it; Jericho then threw Mysterio to the floor and rammed a steel tool box into Mysterio's already injured knee before then leaving ringside and saying he was sorry (Mysterio's last appearance for 6 months) (Rey Mysterio: Biggest Little Man) WCW TV Champion Booker T pinned Rick Martel with the Harlem Hangover at 10:48; after the bout, Martel took the title belt from the referee, then gave it to Booker, and held his hand up in victory; the two men then shook hands; after Booker left the ring, Perry Saturn jumped out of the crowd and attacked Martel until Booker ran back in the ring to make the save Larry Zbyszko (w/ Dusty Rhodes as his mystery cornerman) defeated WCW Tag Team Champion Scott Hall (w/ Louie Spicolli) via disqualification at 9:16 when, after Rhodes cleared the ring of an interfering Spicolli, he accidentally struck Zbyszko with an elbow to the head when Hall moved out of the way; moments later, Rhodes took off his shirt to reveal an nWo shirt underneath and then dropped the Bionic Elbow on Zbyszko, prompting the referee to stop the match; after the bout, Rhodes hit the move again, with Hall and Spicolli hitting elbow drops as well; Hall then placed Rhodes' WCW hat across Zbyszko's face before the three left the ring; Tony Schiavone & Bobby Heenan called the remainder of the show themselves Ray Traylor, Rick & Scott Steiner (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Konnan, Buff Bagwell, & Scott Norton (w/ Vincent) at 12:21 when Scott pinned Konnan with the Steiner Screwdriver; during the bout, it was noted Scott had been fined $15,000 in recent weeks for manhandling officials; after the bout, Scott and Bagwell, who didn't come to blows during the match, had words and had a pose off as Bagwell left ringside WCW Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash (w/ Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff) pinned the Giant at 10:48 after throwing hot coffee into the Giant's face behind the referee's back, hitting a low blow, and following with a powerbomb where the Giant landed awkwardly on his head; late in the contest, the Giant picked Bischoff up from the apron and hit a chokeslam; after the contest, the trainer came out with several referees to tend to the Giant Bret Hart defeated Ric Flair via submission with the Sharpshooter at 18:04 following a superplex; prior to the match, Hart gave his sunglasses to a ringside fan (Hart's in-ring debut) Lex Luger defeated Randy Savage (w/ Elizabeth) via submission with the Torture Rack at 7:07 after Savage collided with WCW Tag Team Champion Scott Hall on the ring apron; late in the bout, Hall, armed with a steel chair, and Hulk Hogan appeared ringside, with Hogan trying to stop Hall from interfering on behalf of Savage; after the contest, Hogan, Hall, Buff Bagwell, Vincent, WCW Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash, Scott Norton, and Konnan ganged up on Luger until Sting came out to make the save; moments later, Luger put Nash in the Torture Rack while Sting put Hogan in the Scorpion Deathlock to end the broadcast Souled Out 99 - Charleston, WV - Civic Center - January 17, 1999 (10,833; sell out) Pay-per-view bouts - featured Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, & Mike Tenay on commentary; included an opening pre-taped segment in which WCW President Ric Flair commented on the event during an apparent press conference; featured footage of Konnan discussing being kicked out of the Wolfpac for WCW.com; included footage of David Flair discussing his in-ring debut for WCW.com; featured footage of Booker T commenting on the Jericho / Saturn match, with Jericho interrupting and challenging "Mr. T" to a match the following night on Monday Nitro: Chris Benoit defeated Mike Enos at 10:34 via submission with the Crippler Crossface; prior to the bout, footage was shown backstage of Bill Goldberg after Goldberg suffered an apparent leg injury Norman Smiley defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr. via submission at 15:44 with the Crossface Chicken Wing after throwing the sawdust remains of Pepe into Chavo's face; prior to the bout, Smiley came ringside with an urn of sawdust, the remains of Pepe the wooden horse Bam Bam Bigelow pinned Wrath at 9:23 with the Greetings from Asbury Park after Wrath hit his head on the steel ring post Lex Luger defeated Konnan via submission with the Torture Rack at 9:30 after Miss Elizabeth came ringside and sprayed Konnan in the eyes with a spraycan as he had the Tequilla Sunrise applied Chris Jericho (w/ Ralphus) pinned Perry Saturn at 11:43 after referee Scott Dickenson reversed Saturn's inside cradle and then gave him a fast 3-count; due to pre-match stipulations, Saturn was forced to put on a dress after the match and wear it during future matches; had Jericho lost the bout he would have had to wear the dress WCW Cruiserweight Champion Billy Kidman defeated Rey Mysterio Jr., Psychosis, and Juventud Guerrera at 14:23 by pinning Guerrera with the Shooting Star Press; after the bout, Kidman and Mysterio shook hands out of respect Ric & David Flair defeated Curt Hennig & Barry Windham at 13:56 when David pinned Hennig after Arn Anderson interfered and hit Hennig in the back with a tire iron as Hennig attempted the Hennig Plex; prior to the bout, Anderson escorted the Flairs ringside but was sent backstage after objections from Hennig & Windham; after the match, Vincent, Scott Norton, Bryan Adams, and Horace Hogan attacked Anderson and the Flairs; Chris Benoit attempted to make the save but was beaten down as well, with WCW World Champion Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Kevin Nash, Buff Bagwell, and Scott Steiner appearing moments later; Hogan handcuffed Ric to the ring rope before whipping David with his weight belt and spraying "EZE" on his back as Ric watched on helplessly (David's in-ring debut) Bill Goldberg defeated Scott Hall in a taser match at 17:36 by tasing Hall after hitting the spear and Jackhammer, despite interference from Disco Inferno; during the bout, the taser was hung above the ring and the two men had to climb a ladder to obtain it; immediately after the match, Bam Bam Bigelow attacked Goldberg with Hall then tasing both men as the show ended Souled Out 00 - Cincinnati, OH - Firstar Center - January 16, 2000 (14,132) Pay-per-view bouts - featured Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, & Mike Tenay on commentary; included an opening announcement that WCW World Champion Bret Hart and WCW US Champion Jeff Jarrett were out due to injury and Chris Benoit would face Sid Vicious - Hart's scheduled opponent - for the vacant world title; following the announcement, footage was shown of Hart's injury against Bill Goldberg sustained at Starrcade and Jarrett's injury sustained the previous Monday following a diving headbutt off a steel cage from Benoit; due to the changes, the scheduled Triple Threat Theatre contest between Benoit and Jarrett was changed to Billy Kidman going through a gauntlet against Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, and a mystery opponent; featured footage from the pre-game show of Shane Douglas, Malenko, and Saturn attacking Konnan backstage; the show was to have included Malenko, Saturn, & a mystery partner against Kidman, Konnan, & Rey Mysterio Jr. but was scrapped due to injuries to Konnan and Mysterio; included footage from the pre-game show of WCW Tag Team Champions David Flair & Crowbar attacking Vampiro backstage, with Vampiro then challenging the champions to a handicap match instead of facing Flair one-on-one as scheduled; featured footage of Buff Bagwell arriving to the building; included Gene Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Big Vito, Johnny the Bull, Tony Mamaluke, & Disco Inferno regarding their upcoming match against Ron & Don Harris; featured a backstage segment with WCW Cruiserweight Champion Madusa and Spice in which they discussed Madusa's upcoming match against Oklahoma; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with WCW Hardcore Champion Brian Knobbs regarding his title defense later in the show, during which Knobbs praised Fit Finlay for his inspiration that led him to the title; included a vignette of Stevie Ray in the ghetto in which he met with neighbors and said Booker T was trying to forget where he came from; featured Gene Okerlund conducted a backstage interview with Stevie Ray about the footage; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Vicious regarding his match later in the night against Benoit for the vacant WCW World Title; included Hudson conducting a backstage interview with Arn Anderson regarding Kevin Nash winning the commissioner role and his referee job later in the show between Chris Benoit and Sid Vicious: Billy Kidman defeated Dean Malenko in a catch-as-catch-can match at 2:34 when Malenko slid out to the floor to regroup; stipulations for the match stated it would end via pinfall, submission, or when an opponent's feet touched the floor; during Kidman's entrance, Bobby Heenan mentioned on commentary that he saw Pete Rose before the show and when Heenan said it was going to be a great pay-per-view, Rose responded with "Wanna bet?"; the finish was not the one planned - Malenko forgot the stipulation; the bell did not ring until several moments after Malenko hit the floor, walked down the aisle, and returned to the ring Vampiro defeated WCW Tag Team Champion David Flair and WCW Tag Team Champion Crowbar (w/ Daffney) at 10:31 by pinning Flair with the Nail in the Coffin after Flair collided with Daffney in the corner; prior to the bout, Scott Hudson conducted a backstage interview with Vampiro regarding the match, during which Masahiro Chono interrupted, grabbed the mic, and cut his own promo before Vampiro confronted him; moments later, Gene Okerlund conducted a backstage interview with Daffney, WCW Tag Team Champions David Flair & Crowbar (Chono's surprise return) Big Vito & Johnny the Bull (w/ Disco Inferno) defeated Ron & Don Harris at 9:32 when Vito scored the pin after Disco went to shove Vito off the top, with Vito then falling off and landing a clothesline onto one of the Harris brothers; during the match, there was a noticable "DOA" chant from the crowd; after the bout, Vito congratulated with Disco, not realizing Disco attempted to cost him the match Oklahoma pinned WCW Cruiserweight Champion Madusa (w/ Spice) to win the title at 2:56 with a roll up and grabbing her tights for leverage; prior to the match, Oklahoma appeared in possession of the title belt, which he stole the previous Monday, and cut an in-ring promo against women; after the bout, Asya - who appeared ringside late in the bout - and Spice held Oklahoma as Madusa poured barbecue sauce down his tights WCW Hardcore Champion Brian Knobbs defeated Fit Finlay, Norman Smiley, and Meng at 6:10 by pinning Smiley after hitting him in the face with a police shield as Smiley came off the top; after the match, Smiley and Meng hugged, with Meng then throwing Smiley over the top; moments later, Finlay and Knobbs celebrated and left ringside together Billy Kidman pinned Perry Saturn in a bunkhbouse match at 10:04 by reversing a powerbomb attempt into a facebuster after backdropping Saturn off the top Booker T defeated Stevie Ray via disqualification at 6:28 when Tony Norris appeared and attacked Booker T, with he helping double team Booker; prior to the bout, Booker was escorted to the ring by Midnight and cut an in-ring promo on Stevie Ray, saying their relationship was over; after the bout, Stevie Ray dropped Booker with the Slapjack while Norris hit the Tiger Bomb; moments later, Stevie Ray cut an in-ring promo on Midnight and introduced Norris as "Big T;" Big T then referred to Midnight as a piece of fish, with Stevie saying they were the new Harlem Heat; there were numerous chants of "Ahmed" after the match (Norris' surprise debut) Tank Abbott defeated Jerry Flynn in a shoot fight rules match at 1:38 following a blow to the back of the head as Abbott had Flynn face down on the mat; stipulations stated the match could only end via submission or with the referee's standing 10 count, however the match ended after the referee raised Flynn's hand three times and it hit the mat Buff Bagwell defeated Diamond Dallas Page in a last man standing match at 11:37 when, after sustaining the Diamond Cutter, Bagwell reached his feet first after Page was repeatedly hit with a nightstick by Bagwell; during the closing moments, Kimberly appeared ringside and - after DDP attacked Bagwell from behind - went backstage with her husband The Wall (mystery opponent) pinned Billy Kidman in a steel cage match at 5:02 with a chokeslam after catching Kidman coming off the top; prior to the bout, Shane Douglas appeared and introduced Kidman's opponent and referred to Kidman as a "cock ... roach" Kevin Nash pinned Terry Funk in a streetfight at 8:02 after a powerbomb across a steel chair laid across two folded steel chairs; pre-match stipulations stated Nash would win Funk's commissioner job effective at midnight if he won and the nWo would be forced to disband if Funk won; the nWo was barred from ringside for the duration of the match; within the first 2 minutes of the match, Nash dropped Funk with a powerbomb through the commentary table; moments later, Nash grabbed the mic and said he would let Funk keep his commissioner job if he could crawl back in the ring; after Funk did, Nash admitted to being a liar; Funk was booed and Nash cheered for the match Chris Benoit (sub. for WCW World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart) defeated Sid Vicious via submission with the Crippler Crossface at 14:50 after avoiding a chokeslam; due to pre-match stipulations, Benoit won the vacated WCW World Heavyweight Title; Arn Anderson was the guest referee for the bout; moments prior to the finish, Sid hit the chokeslam but Anderson refused to make the 3-count since Benoit's foot was underneath the bottom rope; during the Crossface, Sid's foot was also underneath the rope but Anderson didn't see it; during the bout, Perry Saturn, Asya, WCW Tag Team Champions David Flair & Crowbar, Big Vito & Johnny the Bull, Charles Robinson, Disco Inferno, Meng, Daffney, the Wall, WCW Hardcore Champion Brian Knobs, Fit Finley, and several others watched on from the entranceway (Benoit's last match in WCW) (Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story)